Wall of Fame induction set for Clinton alumni before homecoming game
Prior to the Sept. 20 homecoming football game against Powell, four Clinton High School graduates will be inducted into the school’s Wall of Fame.
The honorees are Katherine Birkbeck, Derek Black, Dr. DeAnn Holbrook, and Brig. Gen. Steven Turner.
The ceremony will take place on the field before kickoff.
Katherine Birkbeck, Class of 2000: Birkbeck graduated from Clinton High School in 2000. She earned a degree in communications with an emphasis in public relations from Berry College in Rome, Georgia, in 2004, followed by a master of arts in professional writing from Kennesaw State University in 2007.
In 2008, she founded Katherine Birkbeck Photography, earning numerous awards from various wedding photography associations.
In 2015, she received the Masterpiece Award from the Wedding Photojournalist Association for top wedding photojournalism internationally.
Birkbeck volunteers at Camp Sunshine, a camp for children with cancer, where she was named Volunteer of the Year in 2016.
In 2015, she opened Spindle Tree, an event venue on Market Street, which was voted best event venue by readers of The Courier News in 2021. Birkbeck was also named best photographer.
For the past three years, Birkbeck has served as executive director of Historic Downtown Clinton, a nonprofit focused on revitalizing the downtown area and preserving its history. Under her leadership, the organization has installed 37 historic walking tour signs and created a Clinton High School Youth Board, which raised $18,500 to pay for an art installation and storybook trail at the public library.
In just over two years, the organization has secured nearly $500,000 in grants, with more pending. Ten historic buildings are currently under renovation, and the organization hosts five annual events that contribute to the local economy: the Mosaic Art Festival, spring and fall antique festivals, Sip of Summer and the Christmas parade.
Derek Black, Class of 1994: Derek Black holds the Ernest F. Hollings Chair in Constitutional Law at the University of South Carolina. After earning his law degree from the University of North Carolina in 2002, Black worked as a civil rights attorney, published author, and college professor at Howard University and UNC Chapel Hill, where he advocates for equality and public education.
A 1994 graduate of Clinton High School, Black earned a triple major in African American studies, philosophy, and political science from the University of Tennessee in 1999.
He has published more than 30 scholarly articles in legal journals, and authored three books, including “School House Burning,” a defense of public education.
His work has been cited in several federal court cases, including the U.S. Supreme Court, and he frequently provides commentary for national media.
His fourth book, “Dangerous Learning,” which examines literacy in the South, will be released in January.
Black serves on the board of Brown’s Promise, named for the landmark civil rights case, and is a fellow at the National Education Policy Center. He is also a founding member of the National Coalition for School Diversity.
Dr. DeAnn Holbrook, Class of 1988: Dr. Holbrook has been a pediatric hospitalist at East Tennessee Children’s Hospital for nearly 25 years.
After graduating from Clinton High School in 1988, she earned a bachelor of science in biology from the University of Tennessee, graduating magna cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa in 1992. She received her medical degree from the James H. Quillen College of Medicine at East Tennessee State University in 1997, where she received the Alpha Omega Alpha and Janet M. Glasgow Memorial Achievement awards, as well as the Kevin Swabe Memorial Award for outstanding pediatric students.
In 2015, Holbrook was honored with the ETCH Leadership Award and has been named Knoxville City View’s Top Doc for pediatric hospitalists multiple times.
She serves as an attending physician for the University of Tennessee Family Practice for inpatient pediatrics and as an instructor for medical students.
For more than 20 years, Holbrook has taught family practice interns and medical students during their pediatric rotations at ETCH.
She also serves as the hospital’s quality improvement safety coach, and has actively contributed to numerous professional organizations and medical committees.
Brigadier General Steven Turner, Class of 1989: Brig. Gen. Turner is a decorated career military officer, currently in his 34th year of service. He has served in multiple countries and was deployed to Iraq in 2005 and 2009. Turner has commanded at the brigade, battalion, and company levels.
Turner graduated from Clinton High School in 1989 and earned a bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of Tennessee. In 2007, he earned a master of business administration from Northcentral University, and later, a master of strategic Studies from the U.S. Army War College.
Turner enlisted as a U.S. Army cavalry scout, and his accolades include the Legion of Merit, Bronze Star Medal with oak leaf cluster, Meritorious Service Medal with three oak leaf clusters, and the Combat Action Badge, among others.
Turner will soon add another title to his resume: Adjutant General of Tennessee. He is set to take the position when Governor Bill Lee’s term ends.